Hollyleaf's Second Chance
by Lynxblossom
Summary: Hollyleaf has been reincarnated into the body of one of Poppyfrost's young kits, and now this young kit alone has the power to save or destroy the clans...
1. A Kit is Born

Hollyleaf's Second Chance

Author's Note/ Prologue—A Kit is Born

**Okay, so this is written a little after the first book in Omen of the Stars, so if you haven't read that far yet—beware of spoilers! Hollyleaf has been reincarnated into the body of a new kit, born to Poppyfrost (why Poppyfrost? Just cuz). She's been given a second chance to live, and this kit alone will hold the power to save or destroy the clans. **

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Prologue

The young kit opened her eyes groggily for the first time, peering up at her mother's face. Poppyfrost looked back at her, blue eyes filled with delight. "Your eyes are beautiful!" she said, her voice filled with love. The kit yawned as Poppyfrost's dragged her sandpaper-rough tongue through the kit's fur. Suddenly, the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat looked up at Jayfeather, the ThunderClan medicine cat, who was standing there with an unreadable look on his face. "Is something wrong, Jayfeather?" she asked, perplexed.

The young cat shook himself from his daze. "Ah—no," he said, reassuring Poppyfrost. "I'm fine. It's just…what does she look like?"

"Oh!" Poppyfrost had nearly forgotten Jayfeather was blind. "She has the most beautiful green eyes, and thick black fur…what _is_ it, Jayfeather?" the she-cat said, somewhat impatiently, as the tom's blind gaze darkened.

"N-nothing!" he said sharply. "Nothing at all. She sounds beautiful…" his voice choked with sorrow. "She sounds like…like Hollyleaf."

"Oh, so that's it…" the she-cat's voice softened. Apparently Jayfeather hadn't gotten over the shocking death of his sister, Hollyleaf, several moons ago—and who could blame him? Poppyfrost herself had lost a sibling as well, Honeyfern, and she was still mourning for her beloved sister.

Jayfeather shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. "Anyway," he said, "I'm glad your kits are healthy, Poppyfrost. I doubted they were sick, but with the recent outbreak of whitecough going around I had to check…" he trailed off.

Poppyfrost nodded. "I know," she said. "You can go now, Jayfeather."

A faint smile crossed the young medicine cat's face. "I'll see you, Poppyfrost," he said, waving his tail in a farewell as he padded out of the nursery. But as he returned to his den, his thoughts were whirling. He had received an ominous prophecy from StarClan several nights ago, in his dreams…

_A black form was standing in the center of the clearing, head bowed, as blood pooled in the dirt. Blood was everywhere, dripping from the trees, trickling across the rough ground, running from the cat's fur…_

_ She looked up and showed brilliant green eyes, filled with sadness and regret. It was Hollyleaf. "Why…?" she whispered faintly. "What have I done?" _

_Gradually, her form faded away to reveal a young kit lying limp on the ground. The kit looked up, showing the same intense green eyes. A mysterious energy surrounded the area, and a faint voice echoed, "Like cinder, holly will rise again from the ashes of the dead…"_

Jayfeather shook himself from his stupor as he nearly crashed into his brother Lionblaze, who was returning from a patrol. Lionblaze jumped back, and Jayfeather could feel annoyance wash over him. "Watch where you're going!" Lionblaze said sharply.

"There's only one problem with that: I _can't _watch where I'm going, mousebrain!" Jayfeather snorted.

"Oh…Jayfeather, it's you," Lionblaze said, relaxing. "What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"Oh, it's nothing," Jayfeather said curtly, whirling around and padding back to his den. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something momentous was going to happen…and it had something to do with Poppyfrost's young kit, the one who looked like his dead sister…


	2. Memories of a Past Life

Hollyleaf's Second Chance—A Fanfic

Memories of a Past Life

**A/N: Sorry I didn't use completely exact dialogue from the book in the flashback, I wanted to but I couldn't find my copy of Sunrise…oh well…I wrote as close to the original dialogue as I could remember.**

* * *

**Several days later…**

Hollykit blinked her pretty green eyes open, yawned, and stretched. Waving her thick black tail eagerly, she looked over at her brother, Wolfkit, who was curled up into a fluffy ball of gray fur. She realized he was asleep, and disappointedly snuggled beside her mother's sleeping form, closing her eyes and attempting to go back to sleep._ This is no good! Wolfkit is just a lazy furball, we should be exploring the camp!_ She stood up indignantly and shook out her thick fur, then stomped out of the nursery.

Hollykit was immediately overwhelmed by the myriad of sights and sounds in the ThunderClan camp. That stern-looking tabby with amber eyes had to be the deputy, Brambleclaw! And that flame-colored tom sitting beside him…could it be Firestar, the clan leader? Hollykit blinked excitedly, then turned her gaze elsewhere. She didn't recognize the tabby she-cat standing by the fresh kill pile with a remorseful look on her face, but the cream tom standing next to her…that was Hollykit's father, Berrynose! That gray tom with strange, blank eyes was Jayfeather; she had seen him a few days ago, when he had visited her mother in the nursery. But who were the golden tom and the young gray she-cat sitting with him? Hollykit trotted over, curious.

"It was nice of Poppyfrost to name her kit after Hollyleaf," the golden tom remarked calmly.

_They must be talking about me!_ Hollykit realized. _But who is Hollyleaf?_

"Yes," Jayfeather replied. "But…" he trailed off.

"But what?" the young she-cat asked curiously. "Hollyleaf was your sister, right?"

Jayfeather nodded. "Yes, Dovepaw, she was. But I happened to receive a prophecy from StarClan several nights ago…maybe it would be better if we went inside my den," he said hurriedly, flicking his tail and inviting them inside. Out of curiosity, Hollykit padded over to the edge of the den and peered inside. The cats were sitting in a circle, talking. They apparently hadn't noticed her presence yet.

"The prophecy said, 'Like cinder, holly will rise again from the ashes of the dead'," Jayfeather informed the other two.

"Like _cinder_? What does that even mean?" Dovepaw wrinkled her nose in confusion.

Jayfeather looked down. "I have to tell you two something," he said softly, "something you can't _ever_ tell another cat. Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Dovepaw said, eyes wide. "Kind of like our prophecy? Y'know, about the three cats who…" she trailed off, glancing around suddenly as if she suspected someone to be listening. Heart thumping, Hollykit jumped back to avoid being seen.

Jayfeather nodded. "Yes, like the prophecy. You've heard of the old ThunderClan medicine cat Cinderpelt, right?"

The golden tom nodded. "She was Leafpool's mentor." His voice turned dark as he said the she-cat's name, although Hollykit didn't know why.

"_Hollykit!_" Poppyfrost yowled from the nursery. "Get over here!"

"Fox dung!" Hollykit muttered quietly, but she padded across the camp obediently, not even looking back to see if the three cats had realized she'd been listening to them. "What is it, mother?" she asked, shooting a glance at Wolfkit, who was still asleep.

"I don't want you heading out of the nursery by yourself yet," Poppyfrost said sternly. "At least go with your brother or with another kit."

_She didn't notice I was spying!_ Hollykit thought with relief. "Okay, mother. But Wolfkit is never awake," she whined. "And there are no other kits in the nursery!"

"Your brother will wake up soon. He's just tired," Poppyfrost said gently. "Now come over here and have a nap."

"Okay," Hollykit grumbled reluctantly. She padded over to where her brother lay and curled up next to him, falling asleep within minutes.

_Hollykit looked up. She was surrounded by cats, cats of all shapes and sizes…they were in a clearing, and in the center of the clearing was an enormous tree. Firestar was perched on one of its branches, along with three other cats. _Those must be the clan leaders! _Hollykit realized with awe. But…why were they staring at her? _

_As she looked around, she realized that, in fact, every cat was staring at her. She felt their hot gazes burning into her fur, and her pelt prickled anxiously. _What did I do wrong? _Beside her, a small gray she-cat looked into her eyes with an expression of horror. "What have you done?_

"_I did what I had to," the voice coming out of her mouth was hard and cold, and Hollykit didn't recognize it._

_The gray she-cat looked away sadly. "You've just hurt everyone even more," she said softly, before turning away. _

_Suddenly, the scene vanished, and Hollykit found herself inside the medicine cat den, standing next to a tabby she-cat…Hollykit thought she had seen her before…could it be the warrior she'd seen outside of the nursery earlier? To her surprise, she found that her paw was placed on a pile of small, red berries. She spoke again, uncontrollably, and again she didn't recognize her own voice. "See these deathberries?" she spat. "You're going to eat them, or I'll _make _you!" _

_The she-cat just looked at her sadly and said nothing. "I've killed once, and I can do it again!" Hollykit snarled in her strange new voice. _

_Finally the tabby spoke. "I've lost my kits, the one I loved, and my honor as a medicine cat. Which do you think would be easier for me: to live or die?" _

_Hollykit frowned, but she stepped away from the tabby, allowing her to slip outside of the den and vanish into the forest._

_Then the scene changed yet again. Hollykit was standing outside the mouth of a tunnel, looking back behind her sadly. There were two cats standing a few mouse-lengths away—Jayfeather and the golden tom she'd seen earlier! They were calling out to her, urging her to stop…but what was she even doing? Ignoring the two toms…and her own silent pleas of confusion…she stepped forward, into the tunnels._

_And then…it happened. There was a horrible rumbling sound, like one thousand hungry badgers, and the world caved in around her. Debris was flying everywhere; grit scratched her skin and her eyes, and she could hear screams, her own as well as those of the two toms. And then, everything went dark._


	3. A Kit's Curiousity

Hollyleaf's Second Chance—A Fanfic

A Kit's Curiousity

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. I've been busy lately, so I might not be putting chapters up as quickly. I'll try to make them longer though. **** Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed! And I haven't read Fading Echoes yet…so all the stuff that happens in this chapter is around the time of The Fourth Apprentice.**

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Hollykit jolted awake, her heart thumping and her fur on end. She looked around and gradually calmed as she recognized the familiar and comforting scenery of the nursery. _It was just a dream_, she told herself. _A scary one, though…_

Beside her, Wolfkit was glowering. "Ya nearly rolled over on top of me," he scowled.

"Well I couldn't help it!" Hollykit protested. "I was having a dream."

"Huh? What was it about?" her brother asked, sounding slightly interested.

"None of your business, lazy furball," Hollykit said. Her brother shot his paw out and cuffed her ear playfully. "Hey!" She giggled and returned the blow, the dream forgotten…for the moment.

Jayfeather sat in his den, Lionblaze by his side. "Is it true…about Cinderheart? That she's Cinderpelt in a different body?" he asked, eyes wide.

Jayfeather nodded. "Yes. I…I wasn't going to tell anyone, but this is important."

Lionblaze wrinkled his nose. "But what could it have to do with the prophecy you received? Or our own prophecy? We can't forget about that."

Jayfeather glanced up, and Lionblaze could see that his blind eyes were troubled. "I don't know yet," he said, "but these two prophecies…they're tied together somehow. I can tell."

Hollykit padded out of the nursery and watched the cats in the camp. Wolfkit was playing by himself, rolling a mossball around absentmindedly while he watched the apprentices sitting together outside the apprentice den. There were three: a dark brown she-cat, a light gray tom with black stripes running down his body, and a tortoiseshell she-cat with blotches of white on her fur. She didn't see the gray one—Dovepaw—who had been with Jayfeather yesterday. Hollykit padded over to her brother. "Who're they?" she asked, curious.

Wolfkit glanced at her. "They're apprentices."

"Well I know _that_, mousebrain!" Hollykit groaned. "But what're their names?"

Wolfkit shrugged. "Why don't you ask them?"

"But…they're apprentices! And they're so much bigger than me!" Hollykit said, looking back at the apprentices. Her eyes shone with awe.

"Well, you're gonna be an apprentice someday," Wolfkit reminded her.

"Yeah, but not for a long time," she said. "Like, four and a half moons!"

Wolfkit shrugged. He didn't seem interested in the apprentices. He flicked his tail in farewell and padded back inside the nursery. Hollykit watched him go, then looked around at the other cats in the camp. Firestar was sitting outside of his den talking to Brambleclaw, the expression in his green eyes unreadable. A ginger she-cat who looked like Firestar padded into camp; as she passed Brambleclaw, she winced slightly. Brambleclaw's eyes hardened, and he didn't give her so much as a glance. _Now what is that all about?_ Hollykit wondered to herself. She turned her gaze over to the medicine cat den. Jayfeather wasn't there. _He must be inside, or maybe he's looking for herbs_.

Then Hollykit glanced over at the fresh kill pile, and her eyes widened. It was the cat from her dream! She was standing there looking lonely. Hollykit took a deep breath and padded up to her. "Hello, I'm Hollykit. Who're you?"

**Another A/N: I know I said the chapters would be longer from now on, but this one's an exception. I wanted to get another chapter out there, but I don't have time to add anything else right now. Plus I thought this was a good place to stop. **** Oh, and the next chapter will be up soon, maybe in a week. Leafpool's POV will be in it!**


	4. Memories

Hollyleaf's Second Chance—A Fanfic

Memories

**A/N: Hey everyone! Again, thanks for all the reviews and helpful comments, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! More flashbacks in this one! The dialogue's still not from the books, but I used the scenes as a basis for them (if that makes any sense, LOL). Sorry if the flashbacks are long; I'll try to make up for it! Oh, and I still haven't read Fading Echoes…*sigh* so sorry if the info isn't updated.**

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_Leafpool pricked her ears, heard the snapping of a twig behind her. "All right Squirrelflight, come out!" she snarled. "I know that you're there!" _

_ But it wasn't her sister. Out of the bracken stepped her mentor, Cinderpelt, twisted limb dragging behind her. The medicine cat's bright blue eyes were calm, a deadly calm, a frightening calm that told Leafpool she was in trouble. "I know what you're doing, and it has to stop," she told her apprentice firmly. _

_ Leafpool stiffened. "Wh-what are you talking about?" _

_ "You know very well what I'm talking about. Don't lie to me." She gestured to the tom sitting beside Leafpool, with jet-black fur and green eyes, who reeked of WindClan scent. _

_ Suddenly Leafpool realized she wasn't angry, but concerned. _Who is she to be concerned? I have feelings, just like any other cat! _"Squirrelflight must've told you," she said bitterly, flexing her claws. _

_ Cinderpelt shook her head. "No, I picked up your scent along with a WindClan warrior's, and they led me to…this. And it's obvious you've been sneaking out at night." _

_ "What?! You've been spying on me!" Leafpool hissed, voice filled with terror and anger. _

_ Again, her mentor shook her head. "No. You've been doing so poorly with your medicine cat duties that even a kit would notice you were exhausted." _

_ Suddenly, the tom stepped between them. "Leave," he said, voice cold. "This is between Leafpool and I, and no one else." But Cinderpelt merely fixed him with a stern gaze, saying nothing. _

_Leafpool shot him a look. "Please…go back to WindClan," she said, voice pleading. "I can handle this." _

_Reluctantly, the tom nodded and slipped away into the shadows. _

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Leafpool stared at the young kit, Hollykit, who was looking up at her, eyes shining brightly with curiosity and friendliness. "Well? Who are ya?" she repeated.

Leafpool's eyes widened. The kit looked so much like…ugh. She couldn't even think her own daughter's name...it was too painful for her, even now. "My name is…my name is…Leafpool," she managed to say.

"Well hi, Leafpool!" Hollykit said brightly. Suddenly, her bright green gaze focused on Leafpool more intently. "Are you a medicine cat or a warrior?" she asked.

_What?! Why would a kit even ask a warrior a question like that? Unless, somehow…_ Leafpool smiled at the young kit, trying to remain calm. "I'm a warrior," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"Uh…no reason," Hollykit shrugged. "I just wondered, that's all."

"Well, actually, Jayfeather's the medicine cat," Leafpool said, keeping her voice bright for the kit's sake.

Hollykit frowned. "Yeah, I know _that_. I met him before in the nursery. I was just wondering if, like…Well, uh...okay, well I had a dream and I saw you in it. And you were in the medicine cat den!" she burst out.

Leafpool's eyes widened, then narrowed. What did this kit mean by a dream? A dream from StarClan? But, no, she was too young…wasn't she? And she would find out Leafpool's story herself anyway if she sat by the warriors den and eavesdropped; everyone was talking about Leafpool and what she had done. "I don't know what you're talking about," she finally said bitterly, turning away and padding into the warriors den.

* * *

_Leafpool was alone now, alone to confront Cinderpelt. "We weren't…we weren't doing any harm," she began timidly._

_ "Leafpool!" Cinderpelt hissed, voice harsher now, eyes blazing with anger. "Not only is Crowfeather from a different clan, but you are a medicine cat! You are forbidden to fall in love with any cat, and you know it! You knew it when you chose your destiny, and you cannot turn back now!"_

Yes, but I never thought about what it would mean! _Leafpool wailed silently._ I never thought I would fall in love! _"It's not fair!" she sobbed. _

_ "A medicine cat must give up these things for the sake of her clan," Cinderpelt snapped. _

_ "You don't understand! You don't know what I'm feeling!" Leafpool wailed. Cinderpelt said nothing. Emboldened, Leafpool went on, "You never wanted anything else! How could you possibly understand?!" _

_ Cinderpelt's eyes suddenly flashed with fury. "Do you know…Do you know the dreams I abandoned when _this _happened?" She began to wail, turning towards her twisted leg. Then her voice hardened. "_You_ could never understand how hard it was to give up my hopes when I became a medicine cat!"_

_ Leafpool regarded her mentor wide-eyed. She had never seen her this angry before. Perhaps…sending Crowfeather away had been a mistake…_

* * *

Hollykit watched Leafpool pad away. Why had she gotten so angry? _It was just a dumb question_, Hollykit thought bitterly. She began to wonder if telling Leafpool about her dream had been a bad idea. _It was just a dream, I bet it didn't even mean anything. Now she probably thinks I'm just a mousebrain like Wolfkit. I mean, only medicine cats get dreams from StarClan…right?_

* * *

Jayfeather watched the kit, eyes narrowed. He'd heard her talking to Leafpool, and had picked up waves of anxiety coming from his mother. What had the kit asked her about? Suddenly, there was a rustling behind him. He whirled around, startled.

"Relax, Jayfeather, it's only me," Dovepaw laughed.

Jayfeather frowned. "I knew it was you!" he said harshly. "I was just…surprised, that's all."

"Okay," Dovepaw said, letting it drop. She glanced at Jayfeather's worried face. "What's wrong?"

Jayfeather shook his head. "Ah—nothing," he assured the apprentice.

Dovepaw narrowed her eyes. _I don't think he's telling the truth._ "Really, what's wrong?"

Jayfeather didn't respond. He merely slipped inside his den and went back to sorting herbs.

* * *

_"Come back to camp with me now!" Cinderpelt hissed. "And stop this foolishness! It's for your own sake, Leafpool. This can only lead to pain, and I haven't spent all this time training you as a medicine cat to have you sneaking around in the shadows!"_

_ "No!" Leafpool spat. "I won't come! You can't stop me from seeing Crowfeather! I hate you!"_

_ If only she could have known how much she would regret those words…_


	5. War of Willpower

Hollyleaf's Second Chance—A Fanfic

War of Willpower

**A/N: I have FINALLY read Fading Echoes! Sorry this chapter took so long, I was really busy. But now that it's summer, there'll probably be a new chapter every week or so. Enjoy! **** Oh, and for the sake of the fanfic, I'm just going to pretend Cherrykit and Molekit don't exist. Hope you don't mind. :D And sorry for putting Ashfur in the Dark Forest, I don't think he belonged there. But it worked out better for the fanfic, so…**

"Hollypaw! Wolfpaw! Hollypaw! Wolfpaw!"

Hollypaw lifted her head proudly as the chants of her clan echoed around her. Several moons had passed, and she was finally an apprentice! Firestar was about to name her mentor, and she couldn't wait.

"Icecloud, you have shown yourself to be an able warrior. You will be Hollypaw's mentor," Firestar said. "Foxleap, you have been a warrior for a while. You will be Wolfpaw's mentor."

Foxleap and Icecloud touched their noses to their apprentices'. A surge of excitement shot through Hollypaw. _I have a mentor! I'm gonna learn to be the best warrior there ever was! Even better than Wolfpaw!_

Finally, as the ceremony ended, Hollypaw and Wolfpaw trotted over to their parents. Poppyfrost and Berrynose's eyes shone with pride. "You will make great apprentices," murmured their mother softly.

"I'll make you proud!" Hollypaw promised. Her parents nodded, and she turned to trot towards the apprentices' den. Dovepaw and Ivypaw, the clan's other apprentices, were waiting.

"Congratulations!" Dovepaw purred. Ivypaw nodded in agreement.

"Thanks!" Wolfpaw said eagerly, before Hollypaw could even speak. He seemed to be looking at Dovepaw with the utmost admiration. _That's weird,_ thought Hollypaw. _I've only seen him talk to her once before._ As he began to engage the pale gray she-cat in conversation, Hollypaw met Ivypaw's gaze with a prickle of unease. Her eyes were icy and shone with intelligence. She nodded to Hollypaw again, and Hollypaw nodded back. As Ivypaw turned to vanish into the warriors' den, Hollypaw thought, _She's hiding something, I can tell. I just wonder what it is._

In the Dark Forest, the cats were continually training, getting stronger and stronger, sometimes suffering horrible injuries in the process. But it was worth it, Tigerstar told himself. They would destroy those fools in StarClan once and for all, and then they would control the destiny of the whole forest. That is, if Tigerstar didn't go mad from Darkstripe's continual nagging first.

Darkstripe slid up beside him. "Master Tigerstar," he purred.

"What? What do you want?" Tigerstar growled in annoyance.

"There is another she-cat."

"What? Ivypaw's training is coming along well, and she is still foolish enough to believe anything I say. Do you mean her sister?"

"No. A different cat. One with power and strength even greater than Ivypaw's."

Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. "Stronger than Ivypaw? Who is this she-cat?"

"I do not know her name. But there is something about her that's…different. She is intelligent, smarter than Ivypaw. But we can get her to trust us."

Tigerstar nodded. "All right. I will have Hawkfrost speak to her."

_Hollypaw opened her eyes in a new world. She was lying in a beautiful clearing, shaded by ferns glittering with morning dew. High above, maples and oaks waved in the slight breeze. _What—what is this place?

_Suddenly she saw a cat coming up to her. It was a beautiful young tortoiseshell she-cat with glittering eyes. "Hollyleaf." _

_ Hollypaw looked around, but there were no other cats in the clearing. "Are you—are you talking to me?"_

_ The she-cat nodded, her eyes sad. "I am Spottedleaf, and I am a StarClan cat. I am here to tell you something extremely important."_

_ Hollypaw's eyes widened. A _StarClan_ cat? But…didn't only medicine cats receive dreams from StarClan? _

_ Spottedleaf opened her mouth to continue. "I know you think you are just a normal apprentice. But you are the soul of a former warrior, Hollyleaf, in another—"_

_ Suddenly, a great rumble echoed through the clearing. Spottedleaf glanced around, eyes wide. "What—?" _

_Then the earth cracked open and the ground split in two. Spottedleaf was knocked aside, and Hollypaw found herself being swallowed up by the dirt. "H-help me!" she managed to cry out before she was swallowed up by darkness._

_When Hollypaw opened her eyes again, she was in a meadow filled with flowers, swaying in the breeze. Her head was swimming, and she couldn't quite remember how she had gotten here. Had she been in a clearing before? Something about a StarClan cat? Who had called her Hollyleaf? Hollypaw shook her head. _Just some random dream. I guess I must still be dreaming. _She got to her paws and looked around. Suddenly she heard a rustling behind her. Fur on end, Hollypaw whirled around. A powerful-looking, broad-shouldered tom with glittering eyes was standing there, watching amusedly. "Hello, apprentice," he smiled._

_ Hollypaw narrowed her eyes. Why did he look so familiar? "Who are you?"_

_ The tom dipped his head. "I am Hawkfrost, a StarClan warrior. Do you know how you got here?"_

_ "Th-this is a dream, right?" Hollypaw felt intimidated in the presence of the powerful tom._

_ "Yes." Hawkfrost nodded. "And do you recall having a dream before this?"_

_ Hollypaw frowned. "I…I'm not sure. I think I might have. There was another StarClan cat…"_

_ Hawkfrost frowned. "That was not a StarClan cat, young apprentice. That was a cat from beyond the stars, in the dark place where cats who have proved to be dishonorable warriors go."_

_ "Dishonorable? Do you mean…evil?"_

_ Hawkfrost cocked his head. "Some are. That cat was, and she was trying to recruit you over to her side. Luckily we stopped her before she managed to. How much do you remember of what she said?"_

_ Hollypaw frowned. "N-not much. I don't really remember anything."_

_ Hawkfrost nodded in approval. "Good. She was feeding you horrible lies. Remember that, and she will not be able to bring you over to her side." _

_ "Oh…okay." Hollypaw nodded. _

_ Suddenly another cat stepped out from behind Hawkfrost. He was a gray tom with hostile, narrowed eyes. At the sight of him, a wave of hatred and revulsion rose up in Hollypaw's throat. She hated this cat. _No, that's crazy! I've never even seen him before! _Still, the feeling left Hollypaw uneasy. This cat gave her a bad feeling. And if he was with Hawkfrost…_That cat I saw before…I don't remember much about her, but she didn't _seem_ evil…

_"This is Ashfur," Hawkfrost said, nodding to the gray tom. Ashfur dipped his head to her, and Hollypaw forced herself to dip her head in return. "He will be training you."_

_ "Training me?" Hollypaw blinked in surprise._

_ "Yes. You have been chosen by StarClan for special training. Don't you feel honored?" Hawkfrost blinked. "So. Do you accept?" _


	6. Recruitment

Hollyleaf's Second Chance—A Fanfic

Recruitment

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter is a little short and uneventful. I promise the next chapter will be longer—and more exciting! Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and comments! Also, off topic…does anyone know who this "Mapleshade" cat is that people are talking about on all the warriors forums I'm a member of? She's supposedly going to appear in Night Whispers… **********************************************************

Hollypaw stood in front of Hawkfrost, locked in an internal battle. Part of her felt honored—a StarClan cat had chosen _her_ to train—_her _of all cats! She was barely even an apprentice! But another part of her felt uneasy. She couldn't explain this intense revulsion towards Ashfur, but it couldn't have just been a random feeling—it was something more. Something deep inside of her was screaming, telling her to lunge at Ashfur and tear his throat out. Could she really have this negative a reaction towards a _StarClan_ cat? Wasn't StarClan supposed to be good?

_I'll ask around the clan and see if they know anything about a cat named Ashfur,_ Hollypaw decided to herself. _Then I'll decide what to do._ "I have to think about it," she told Hawkfrost. "I'm sorry. Will you return another time and ask again?"

Something like annoyance flickered across Hawkfrost's face, but then he was calm and composed again. It happened so quickly that Hollypaw was almost sure she had imagined it. "Of course," he said coolly. "Make your decision wisely, apprentice. Many cats are never offered this chance." He nodded his head, and the ground opened up again, just like it had when Hollypaw had been talking to that other cat—Spottedleaf. Hollypaw tumbled through, feeling the air whooshing by, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Hawkfrost flicked his tail towards the shadows. "You may come out now."

A small she-cat walked steadily out of the shadows, her blue eyes glowing eerily in the fading light. "She is stubborn, Hawkfrost. I don't see why you need her." Her voice was almost a whine. "Aren't I good enough?"

Hawkfrost turned to the she-cat, looking irritated. "Enough, Ivypaw! You know we need all the help we can get! Taking—er, _defending_ the forest will not be an easy job. We need the best and the brightest warriors. You happen to be among them. And so does Hollypaw."

Ivypaw didn't look satisfied, but she acknowledged Hawkfrost's words with a slight nod and looked away.

"Now, I have a job for you."

Ivypaw's head shot up, her eyes filled with excitement. "A job? For _me_?" He hadn't asked Tigerheart to do it, or one of those other cats that was always lurking around. _Maybe he really thinks I'm one of the best!_

"Talk to Hollypaw. Convince her to join us. I expect to see her with you when you return tomorrow night. Do not disappoint me, Ivypaw." And with that, Hawkfrost turned and walked away, into the shadows. Ashfur, who had been sitting and observing the exchange, stood and followed. Ivypaw felt anger burning inside. _So he _doesn't_ really think I'm one of the best. He just chose this job for me because I'm closest to Hollypaw. It's a dumb job, anyway._ She narrowed her eyes and lashed her tail in anger, but she knew she would do it. She wanted to please Hawkfrost—no matter what it took.

Hollypaw blinked open her eyes to find Ivypaw leaning over her. "Huh?" she stood up and shook stray bits of bracken from her fur. "I had the strangest dream…" she mumbled to herself.

Ivypaw glanced over at Wolfpaw and Dovepaw. They were both still asleep. "I need to tell you something," she hissed, urgency apparent in her voice.

Hollypaw was startled. "W-what?"

"Did you have a weird dream last night? About a StarClan cat named Hawkfrost?"

Hollypaw's eyes widened. "Y-yeah! How…how did you know?"

"Because he's been visiting my dreams, too," Ivypaw replied solemnly. "He's been teaching me a lot of things. He told me that he wants you to join us…he recognizes your talent. I think you should join him. He's smart and strong and…" Admiration crept into her voice. "He's really cool. He's way more helpful than my mentor, Cinderheart!"

_Wow, Hawkfrost sounds really great,_ Hollypaw acknowledged in her thoughts. _But what if…_ "Are you sure Hawkfrost didn't send you to convince me to join him?" she asked suspiciously.

_StarClan's kits, she's clever!_ Ivypaw thought grudgingly. Luckily, she was a good liar. "Why would he do that?" she snorted. "Hawkfrost is nice. He doesn't want to _force_ you to join him! But I think it'd be great if you went back, even just this one time. You'd learn a lot of stuff."

"Well…" Hollypaw considered it. What harm could it do to go back just once? "Okay. I'll come."  
"Great!" Ivypaw said, nodding. Hollypaw realized that underneath her smile, she looked a bit annoyed. _I wonder why?_ "See you tonight, then?"

"Yeah. See you tonight."


End file.
